Monday, August 16, 2010

My Story

Hi, my name is CJ and I have lost 247 lbs, no surgery, no pills, just low carb, sensible portions and exercise. I have been low carb since December 2003, but went back on induction in July of 2009.

I have a medical condition(PCOS) that my body just can't process carbs correctly so it stores them instead of burning them. It makes me crave carbs, makes me sick and makes me gain weight like crazy. Since going low carb I feel great, have a lot more energy and I am not starving all the time. I also eat a lot less and feel fuller a lot easier. I was able to shrink my stomach capacity on my own, without any surgery. I wasn't as hungry and over time ate less and less until I was back to normal portion sizes. I have done all of this just from having a low carb lifestyle and exercising.

Cutting out the carbs was NOT easy for me at first. The PCOS makes me crave carbs like an alcoholic craves alcohol. It was very hard the first two weeks but then it got easier and the more I lost the more I realized that this was indeed a lifestyle change and not just some diet that I would only do for a short time. This is truly the way of eating that my body needs. Within the first 4 months I had lost 108 lbs and my doctors were shocked. Then I lost 200 lbs. total, maintained it for over a year, was in a car accident on bed rest for 6 months gained 130 lbs. back.... I lost 40 lbs. of it slowly over a couple years. Then since July 2009 I have lost 116 lbs and feeling better and back to the gym and normal activities. I had been told that I would never be able to go to the gym again after my accident and that was just pretty hard to swallow at 27 years old.....I didn't want to give up, I decided I just couldn't accept that and I had to try harder.

It took a few years to recover from that accident and I have been going to the gym again since September 2009. At first my workout's were shorter and I was using low weight on the resistance machines just to be able to do something since I could not really do any cardio.Then I added more reps over time and then in March I started walking more and then in May I got on the treadmill. I signed up to do a 5k walk/run in September and I wasn't sure if I could make it or not, but I told myself I was going to do it, I had to do it.

I was worried for awhile but then I made it to 3k, 4k, 5k and the first time I made it to 5k it took me an hour and 45 minutes and I was worn out! Now I am consistently doing 5k in an hour and I have made it up to 8k on the treadmill and 10k with additional walking around in stores after the gym. I still have a pinched nerve in my shoulder and if I push myself too hard then my knees, hips and back will bother me too, but I have strengthened my core a lot so that helps. I will get sore muscles but the only real pain I have felt with my current workout is my knees if I push myself too hard or increase my speed too fast. I go to the gym and work out at home as well 4 to 6 times a week.

My Stats as of 8/4/2010 were:

245.8 total lbs lost
Body Fat down 33%
253.3 lbs of fat lost
12.3 lbs of muscle gained
My resting heart rate is down 45 beats per minute from 110 to 65.

Total inches lost:
Neck is down -8"
Left Arm is down -15"
Left Forearm is down -3.5"
Bust is down -29" (Mostly off my back)
Under Bust(Band) is down -22"
Abs are down -44"
Waist is down -38"
Hips are down -37"
Left Thigh is down - 19"
Left Calf is down -5.5"

I have shared my story with friends and family and some people I didn't even know on a low carb health and nutrition forum and I had lots of requests for additional information on what I was doing and the feedback has been amazing. I decided to go ahead and make this more public and share with more people so I made this blog. If it ends up helping even one more person then the effort it took to make it will have been worth it. :)

CJ every once in a while I have to come here, just to reevaluate myself. You have come so far and accomplished more than I can wrap my head around. You are so commited and I am so inspired by you. You give me hope.Some days are harder than others, but who said it was easy?

I found out TODAY that I have PCOS and after I posted on facebook that I have it, a friend told me about your blog. Thank you for sharing! I work out every day (5-10 miles a day either running or zumba or a combination) and haven't lost any weight or inches since september and now I know why! I have been on Jenny Craig and did great on it for a while and now for the past 2 months, nothing! Well, I now know why......to many carbs on Jenny Craig! Thank you again for sharing!! I will keep you posted on my weight loss adventure now that I know what is going on!!

My whole family struggles with weight loss. My mom and I tried low carb YEARS ago, when I was 13 or 14. I lost 20 but couldn't maintain the diet, so I gained 40. I got so tired of eggs and pork rinds (the only snack we could find) so I swore I'd never do it again!

When I moved out on my own I never ate any fruits or vegetables. I knew it would catch up and eventually I started having acid reflux. A fruit a day nearly wiped the problem completely, so that was a start. I'm getting married next week, so decided to try low carb as a quick way to lose a few and now I'm eating lots of veggies. I'm thinking it might not be such a bad idea after all!

Your blog is definitely an inspiration! I'm really hoping you're still active on here! At any rate, I'm sure your blog will be a great source of information! I came here looking for a low carb meal at Olive Garden, so thanks for that! :) And congrats on all your success!

Hello :)

My name is CJ and I have lost 249 lbs. by living a low carb lifestyle and exercise. I am NOT a trained professional in any kind of medical/health/exercise/nutritional fields. I am just someone who has read a lot of information, found something that works for me and I want to share it with others in the hopes that it might help someone else. Please check with your doctor before starting any kind of diet or exercise plan. Everyone is different and medical problems and personal limitations need to be taken into consideration.

Welcome to my blog!

Feel free to ask questions in the comments section or msg me on Facebook.

Followers

249 Pounds Lost!

I've not worn this size dress since I was 17!!!

Exercise and Strength Training has made a huge differene in toning and shaping my body. Don't be afraid to workout on Low Carb, just make sure you are getting enough protein and of course check with your doctor if you have medical concerns.

Yummy Protein!

I'm so proud of my Mom!

She has lost about 100 lbs now on Low Carb. I <3 my Mommy!

Before:

My Mom and I in July 2000

After:

My Mom and I in January 2011

Do you want to be healthier?

"You have to get healthy for yourself, because YOU want to do it for YOU. You can't do it for anyone else or it won't work long term. YOU can do it, because YOU are worth it and you will be happier in the long run." - CJ

Links to Interview & PodCast

My first 5k was the 2010 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Boston.

I was happy to be healthy enough to participate for my friend Kristy and Step-Mom Diane who are both survivors and two wonderful ladies Julie and Shannon.

The Boston Walk for Pancreatic Cancer Research

In Memory of my Grandma.

Boston Area Lung Cancer 5k

In Honor of my Daddy, who had a football sized tumor and 3/4 of his lung removed when I was in HS. Only 15% of people who are disgnosed with lung cancer make it past 5 years, so I'm very lucky that he survived. My back hurt and my legs were going numb, but that was nothing compared to what he went through so I wasn't going to let anything keep me from participating in this walk even if I had to go find a walker with tennis balls on the feet!

When in my car.....

My Belly no longer pushes on the steering wheel!

When out to dinner.....

My tummy no longer pushes up against resturaunt booths!

When on an airplane.....

I have room in my seatbelt and don't have to ask for a seatbelt extension anymore. :)

and.....

I can also put my tray table down in front of me.

Information on PCOS

Fit Day - Weight Loss and Fitness Tracker

The Atkins Carb Counter

I use to carry this book with me in my purse when I first started Atkins. Over time I learned how many carbs was in what and what to order on my own. Now I can just use my Droid to access the Atkins Carb Counter online. :)

I used this book to get started.

I bought both the South Beach and Atkins books, but decided to go with Atkins.